to find uninvited comments about weight rude?

I went to a family gathering last weekend and everyone kept saying how amazing I looked and how slim I was. I said "I fucking hope so as it's been bloody hard work losing all that weight since new year!" Obviously it's true as I have lost 2.5 stone and dropped 3 dress sizes but I think I would be chuffed if someone had said that to me even if I had only lost 2lb or none at all. A compliment is a compliment in my eyes and seeing as rarely got them before I'm lapping them up now. Perhaps the outfit you were wearing made you look slimmer? Whatever the reason it's nothing to get worked up over and just smile and move on.

Hmm I know what you mean OP. I find that often when I GAIN a bit, someone usually comments that I have lost weight.

Now this could go one of three ways:

1) person thinks of me as much bigger when Im noit around2) person thinks as a fat person, this is the "acceptable and flattering" line to make me happy on meeting3) its a ploy to "spur me" on to lose weight.

ive struggled for many many years with an eating disorder (bulimic) and people being commenting on my weight, even positively, often sends me into overdrive with it. Of course i know they dont mean to do that, and id never tell them, but its a big deal.Relatives especially seem to absolutely fall over themselves to compliment me when im skinny. If they only knew how I manage it, they wouldnt be so enthusiastic im sure

YANBU, no one knows what's really going on in a person's life or mind and commenting on weight is intrusive and unnecessary. My SIL was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer 4 months ago, only told close family. She was overweight and lost a lot very quickly. People compliment her on how much weight she's lost and some are quite insistent on asking her how she did it. So far she's fobbed them off as doesn't want to discuss her illness with everyone.

YANBU.My MIL does this every time I see her (about 3x a year) - "You've lost LOADS of weight!", except last time when I had actually lost 1.5st she said nothing!!! In her case, it's clearly a dig and I think, generally, people should not comment on weight unless they know the person is trying to lose (or gain) some and has achieved all or some of that goal.

I'm with you on this one, OP. Any woman who's ever done that to me, loudly at any rate, has generally either been completely insincere or has wanted to draw attention to the fact that, while I may be slimmer, I still outweigh her by a considerable margin.

Why do some people think that women must be complimented the moment you clap eyes on them? I don't need an immediate compliment about my appearance to put me at ease. Generally, I don't want the subject of my appearance being brought to everyone's attention and I'm not so insecure as to need constant reassurance about it, especially from people I don't know well.

So the whole culture of instant fake or un-thought out compliments we've got into is something I do find a bit annoying, it infantilises women. Of course people can pay a genuine compliment, but what's wrong with just saying (as men tend to do with one another) 'Hello, Angela, it's really nice to see you', or just 'Hello, how are you?'

I have lost about 1.5 stone in a short time. This is because I am literally ill with stress and anxiety. I look better - was not very overweight but now have a BMI well in the normal range. - but I feel shocking. LOTS of people have commented - including my patients - I am a GP - I HATE it. If you must say anything - try " Its really nice to see you" ...

I'm with you, OP. I'm a lifelong yo-yoer with big eating and food issues. I've lost a lot of weight recently and I absolutely loathe it when anyone comments. I find it embarrassing and awkward - I never liked talking about weight and food when I was big, and I don't like it now either. If someone I haven't seen in a while says, 'You're looking fantastic, you've lost so much weight,' what I hear is, 'You looked crap before and I've always judged you for it. You must have lost weight deliberately and you now measure up to what I think a woman should look like.' Whilst I recognise that that's not usually going to be the speaker's explicit intention, the implicit assumptions are there.

So my rule is never to comment on anyone else's weight unless they bring up the subject first, or I'm absolutely sure (e.g. postings on Facebook) that they've been losing/gaining weight deliberately and that they want to talk about it. If a very close friend seems to have lost/gained a lot of weight I might say in a more concerned way, 'Is everything OK?' but I'd still wait for them to open up a conversation about weight.

I too am very uncomfortable with conversations about weight. I have struggled with my weight for just about all of my adult weight, with thyroid issues complicating it all and causing me to yo-yo between slender and obese for years.

When I was slender it was because I was ill. When the thyroid issues were (apparently) brought under control I thought that would be it, but I have settled in the obese range and no matter what I do nothing changes. Maybe it will at some point in the future. I can hope.

The scales are my enemy and I try to avoid conversations about weight. I try to never judge anyone in relation to what they weigh. There are all sorts of reasons for everything. I also understand that for many people it is a very, very sensitive issue, myself included. Not everyone seems to understand that though.

Any woman who's ever done that to me, loudly at any rate, has generally either been completely insincere or has wanted to draw attention to the fact that, while I may be slimmer, I still outweigh her by a considerable margin.

To be fair, it's not something I say to people often, but when I have said it, I've meant it sincerely and complimentarily. I've also witnessed people say it to others in my presence, and the recipient of the comment has visibly glowed with pleasure, so there are obviously plenty of people for whom such comments are welcomed and appreciated.

The correlation with positive weight comments for me come, not when I'm lighter, but when I'm actually feeling great about myself so I carry myself differently and face the world with more confidence. That's what people are actually reacting to and find more noticeable although they probably don't recognise it as such so can only put it down to weight.

I find this very intrusive; I once started my own thread on the subject. By doing this to each other, we reinforce the idea that our weight is what defines us. Think of a more original way to greet friends!

yes, sicaq that's exactly how I feel. It's as if as a woman I have some sort of obligation to be always wanting to lose weight, and by extension I have an obligation to be delighted when someone comments on my supposed weight loss. I have never in my life discussed my weight with anyone other than my husband and my sister. I have never publicly declared that I am actively trying to lose weight, I have never claimed to be on a diet. I have never ever responded to an offer of eg a piece of cake with 'oh, I shouldn't, I'm trying to be good'. I might decline the cake, but I don't make a big show of it, a simple 'no thanks' always does the trick. With all this in mind, why on earth does anyone think I should be flattered if they comment on my weight? Or that I'm professionally offended for not liking it?

But there is a huge issue with women and weight anyway. I loathe the thinking that a woman who takes pleasure in eating something is somehow brazen or morally lax. Why can women not just either eat something or not eat something, why is it such a drama for so many of us? Why do we feel obliged to eat that cake whilst simultaneously beating ourselves up for eating it? (And I mean normal, healthy weight women, not women who are overweight and actively struggling to lose it).

YANBU. I'm exactly the same. I had a lot of baby weight to lose, finally managed it when the last baby was three, and have been back to my "normal" pre-baby weight for about 18 months now. Every week, without fail, I will have someone comment on my weight.

I'm sure they mean it kindly- it seems to be one of those generally accepted compliments ("ooh, love your hair, that colour is great on you, haven't you lost a lot of weight, looks fab") we're expected to enjoy. I've always found it uncomfortable, it's none of their business and if I wanted to discuss my weight (loss or otherwise) I would bring it up in the same way I would bring up my battle with thrush.

Oh god this is so rude. People especially love to comment on your body weight after you've had a baby. For years afterwards! My ds is two - TWO fgs, years not months! And if still get the 'oh you look so well! With an appraising glance across my abdomen

Also saying 'well it's supposed to be a compliment' perpetuates the idea that losing weight is a GOOD thing and therefore putting on weight is a BAD thing. Which I don't think is good for anyone. I try really hard not to say anything anymore either - unless it's a good friend and we are discussing weight specifically.

I was thin for years and then slim and the past decade the weight has come on. So I feel I have experienced both sides.

On a bad day - "Aren't you skinny" (subtext: scrawny, unwomanly) and "You're tall you can carry the extra weight better than me" (freakishly large) or "Goodness you're looking much much healthier these days" (what, healthy with arthritis, oh you mean my increased size, am I chunkier, thanks for that).

On a who cares? day the comments go over my head or I just smile and ignore. But I was brought up not to make personal remarks so unless invited to comment I wouldn't.